South Yorkshire Police have paid substantial damages to Sir Cliff Richard, who sued the force and the BBC after he was named in reports as a suspected sex offender.

Lawyers told Mr Justice Mann at a High Court hearing in London that Sir Cliff and the force had now agreed a settlement.

The legal action came after BBC news coverage of a raid of his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in August 2014.

The singer argued that his right to respect for a private life had been infringed and demanded "very substantial" damages.

South Yorkshire Police have apologised "wholeheartedly for the additional anxiety caused" by the force's "initial handling of the media interest".

Mr Justice Mann was told that in late 2013 a man made an allegation to the Metropolitan Police that he had been sexually assaulted by Sir Cliff at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane stadium when he was a child in 1985.

Police in London passed the allegation to the South Yorkshire force in July 2014.

Sir Cliff denied the allegation "as soon as it was brought to his attention" and in June 2016 prosecutors said he would face no charges.

He still remains in dispute with the BBC.

A barrister leading Sir Cliff's legal team handed details of the terms of the settlement to Mr Justice Mann.

Justin Rushbrooke QC did not say how much South Yorkshire Police had agreed to pay.

BBC editors have said they will "defend ourselves vigorously" and a spokeswoman said the corporation had reported Sir Cliff's "full denial of the allegations at every stage".

Mr Rushbrooke told the hearing that Sir Cliff had sued alleging misuse of private information, infringement of his human right to respect for private life and a breach of data protection legislation.

He said police were wrong to have made disclosures about the investigation into the singer to the BBC and should not have co-operated with the broadcaster in the way they did.

Their actions had facilitated the BBC coverage which had been "shocking, humiliating and embarrassing" for Sir Cliff, Mr Rushbrooke said.